Ben Cherington: ‘For the right player, of course we would consider trading prospects’

There may be 37 games remaining on the schedule this year, but for a Red Sox squad that’s 15 1/2 games out of first place in the AL East, it’s already time to look forward to the offseason.

Possessing both a deep farm system and a multitude of talented players at the major-league level, the Red Sox certainly have the means and resources to orchestrate a quick rebuild this winter, possibly by contemplating landmark trades with other clubs.

For Boston general manager Ben Cherington, the offseason provides a multitude of avenues for the team to take en route to constructing a winning team in 2015, but he added that parting ways with some of the organization’s blue-chip prospects would only become a tangible scenario if the right offer presents itself.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been unwilling to trade prospects. … For the right player, of course we would consider trading prospects,” Cherington said. “Clearly, there’s some areas that we’d like to add to this offseason. We have to figure out what makes the most sense – whether that’s trying to add through free agency, trades. … There’s definitely times when a trade makes more sense than free agency, and there’s times when it’s vice-versa.”

While he would not discuss Boston’s evaluation of Castillo, Cherington did acknowledge that the Red Sox have been one of several teams that have established an open dialogue with the intriguing outfielder.

Said Cherington: “There’s obviously been attention on this, he’s a player that we’ve seen and have talked to, but we’re just one of several teams that have done that, so there’s nothing more I can say about that.”